Wednesday, May 25, 2011

This past weekend I was itching for a new recipe (and I try to make a nice breakfast for the hubby when he is home in the mornings) but couldn't find one quite yet that worked with the ingredients that I had in my refrigerator or anything. So I puzzled through a few different recipes and came up with my own. The hubby said it was good and it turned out not burnt and in one piece so I'm guessing we did pretty well too. =P And since it was so ridiculously easy, I had to share it with you!

leftover breakfast casserole

- 8 eggs

- 1 1/2 cups of milk

- 2 cups of shredded cheese (split in half)

- your choice of diced fillings (I used ham and broccoli but there are many possible combinations and I'm sure that you will come up with some beautiful dishes yourself!)

- salt and pepper to taste

Crack eggs into a large bowl (big enough to mix all your fillings in too). Mix eggs, milk, and cheese together with some salt and pepper. Toss the fillings in with the egg and milk mixture to coat them. This quantity should be enough to fill an 8x8 pan (which you do not have to grease). Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes covered with foil. Remove foil and sprinkle remaining cheese over the the top and bake for another 15 minutes. Your bake times may vary depending on what kind of fillings you use - I used ALOT of fillings and it seemed to take a little longer than what other recipes seemed to be saying. Let casserole cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

And remember, I was making this up to so feel free to tweak the recipe - just share your tweaks with me so that I can try them next time I make this! =) Also, it would be really easy to make this the night before and just heat it up in the oven the morning you want it.

So this was our breakfast:

I'd love to know what other combinations of fillings you would try in this recipe. I hope that if you guys try it, you'll send me some pics and let me know how it goes!

Monday, May 23, 2011

My weekend was filled with lots of food and lots of friends who made for a fantastic and relaxing time. Unfortunately, I am losing my trigger finger for my camera. I'll just give you the highlights in my own words. =)

Friday Night BBQ

Just a small group of us gathered around a fire pit, enjoying homemade burgers and all the fixings, listening to summer music and enjoying the amazing company!

Saturday Night Fiesta

Again, a small group of people (three families from church) enjoyed a chance for kids to play and parents/adults to talk (I played and talked =)...I know I am a parent but my kid is still "cooking" so I don't really count it since the other families have two and four children. But it was lovely to spend time and strengthen friendships.

Sunday Family Lunch

My middle brother-in-law was home from his extended semester in LA and his girlfriend came down for a lovely meal. My mother-in-law cooked and it was nice to catch up with family.

And looking forward to many more weekends of food, friends, and fun summer decor like these paper lanterns from a party we had last summer!

Friday, May 20, 2011

I know I teased you all earlier this week with the fact that I was going to get my hair cut and I have completely dropped the ball with giving you a peek at what actually got chopped. =) These are very quick before and after pictures but hopefully they give you an idea of how drastic this was for me.

sorry this one is a little awkward...the hubby wasn't home to help me. =P

and the finished product!

After my hair dresser and I finally decided on a style and made the pony tail to cut, I have 12 inches of hair to send to Locks of Love! I'm so excited that I finally did this. I've been talking about it for years and haven't ever gotten myself to do it and now I can't imagine why not! My hair is going to a great cause and I have an adorable hair cut - and it will grow back so I can do this again! If you haven't, you should do it too!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

I finally made an appointment to get my hair cut! I am not always the most prompt person to get things (like hair cuts) into my schedule but I finally made this appointment. So my hair, that is nearly to my waist, is finally getting a trim! Or, more accurately, a whack. And being my usual indecisive self, I thought I would ask my lovely blog readers to help me out.

My biggest choice is how short to go. If possible, I would really like to be able to donate my hair to Locks of Love. I've done my measuring and that would put my hair around shoulder length after the cut. So I'm thinking of taking the plunge! But which style do I get after that?!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

So Starbucks has these coconut mocha drinks that are amazing (a fairly obvious conclusion since I'm raving). If you like coconut at all, this will be your new fav. It is like drinking a liquid Almond Joy candy bar. And that is amazing.

The one thing better than a coconut mocha is drinking a coconut mocha with a good friend. And I got to do that this morning - a little bit of refreshing and encouraging girl time. I forgot how much I love doing those kinds of things. I just get so busy with life.

So stop, get a cup of coffee/tea/whatever, and go have a good conversation with a real person, face to face!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

When I got to last Friday, I was excited looking forward to the weekend. We had dinners planned with friends, creative overload with some new jewelry projects (check out my shop to see some of what I was working on), church, and a Sunday afternoon nap. =) Let's just say that things ended up a little differently than I was planning.

We did have an amazing dinner at Ciao Italia.The hubby and I had this place recommended to us a year or two ago and we have fallen in love. I know not everyone who reads this blog is in the area but if you are able to go, their paninis and salads are to die for (just check out the pictures on their yelp page). Traditional Italian stuff like imported meats make the experience second to none. Maurizio and Rosanna are amazing restraunteurs and now friends. So we got invited to their special barbeque that they invite regulars to and had an amazing meal.

superbly seasoned short ribs, skirt steak, handmade Italian sausage, and a little salad with their house balsamic dressing - yes, yes, it was AMAZING!

But then, things got interesting. The hubby got sick and the headaches that come with it often threaten to turn into much worse migraines. So it was a late night on Saturday trying to help ease the pain. But it made me deal with how helpless I can feel when I just want to make him feel better!!!

Then things kept progressing. I made the trek to church on my own this morning, letting the hubby keep sleeping. I help by playing piano at church and took care of that and came home to my husband...who had managed to slice his thumb open while washing dishes to try and help me out. My husband is the greatest...but sometimes he hurts himself in his greatness. =)

And then - the news. The news that one of the men who had been fighting against the philosophical and economic freedoms that Americans and Western civilization has developed over the last hundred years is dead. It is anyone's guess what the future holds. But we are living in changing times. And yet, to quote a twitter post I saw tonight, "Don't celebrate death, celebrate justice." God bless America...